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Isko: "Demystify and explain the confusing concept of denim sustainability"

by Rebecca Cringean — November 23, 2018

When industry giants think denim ingredient, they think Isko. But it doesn’t stop there. In terms of denim transparency and sustainability, Isko is a known leader, educator and instrument for change. It is logical, then, that Isko teamed up with ReMode, the premier global event promoting responsible innovation in the fashion industry. For two days in Los Angeles, the event brought together the greatest minds of the fashion industry including big names like Rebecca Minkoff, Amber Valletta, Anna Gedda from H&M, Nicole Miller, Jennifer Silberman of Target and Paul Dillinger of Levi Strauss & Co, to name a mere few. Their mission is to evolve a clear purpose for the massive denim industry, a business that is the world’s second largest polluter. ReMode attendees collaborated through talks, exhibits and networking across all the sectors of the denim industry, attempting to move the entire value chain towards a more sustainable and omnichannel future.

The event kicked off with the Isko and ReMode collaborative Media Masterclass, a seminar meant to demystify, breakdown and explain the confusing concept of denim sustainability. After all, there is so much denim double speak these days that if the fashion media, the carriers of the message, can’t get it right, the denim industry will suffer. Speakers included names like Pierre-Nicolas Hurstel, ReMode Founder; Creative Business Consultant Julie Gilhart in conversation with Eva Kruse, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda; Morten Lehmann, Chief Sustainability Officer, Global Fashion Agenda; and Clare Press, Sustainability Editor-at-Large, Vogue Australia.

“The Media Masterclass was designed to create a relaxed environment where the media can ask questions to industry leaders and learn more about what can be actually done in order to establish a constructive dialogue about sustainability in fashion,” says Rosey Cortazzi, Global Marketing Director for Isko. “There is a desire to provide information and clarity on the topic by explaining the concept itself. The seminar aims to create a common language embracing the perspective of fashion journalists, brands and manufacturers. We believe that a better tomorrow is possible, and this is on each one of us, on both sides.”

At the event, journalists who might normally report on runway or Hollywood trends, received a deeper understanding of supply chain responsibility, global standards and how to educate final consumers so they can make more informed decisions about what denim they purchase. “The future will demand more and more concrete facts as an answer to the responsibility challenges we are facing,” Cortazzi continues. “Those industry players that aim to be protagonists of the future will need to give tangible proof of their commitments and results. With our certificates and proven elements, we as Isko are already actively building up this future.”

Photo: Isko

Isko capsule collection Eyether (designed with François Girbaud)

Isko was able to share their Life Cycle Assessments for all 25,000 plus denim products they make leading to an assessment of the environmental performance of woven, knitted and crocheted fabrics of naturals fibers (except silk) for apparel sector. The Isko Earth Fit, the company’s lowest impact denim collection yet, was also used as a means of education, including 46 fabrics, innovative and responsible fibers such as organic cotton, pre-consumer recycled cotton, and post-consumer recycled polyester from PET bottles.

Photo: Isko

Isko Arquas activewear collection

“We see the partnership with ReMode as a long-term business strategy,” says Cortazzi. “Improving is an ongoing process. The industry should never stand still. At Isko, we aim to push the unlimited possibilities of denim with a holistic, responsible mindset and we like to think of ourselves as a full-power denim force from the ground up. Our main focus is, and always will be, Responsible Innovation.”